Unexpected Comfort
by RaylenEX
Summary: Unrequited love makes one feel down and in need of comfort. And when Alistair tries to comfort his friend, some things come to light. Slash - M!Amell/Alistair. Two chapter one-shot.
1. Unexpected Comfort: Part I

**Usual Disclaimer: Dragon Age: Origins does not belong to me.  
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**Slash Alert: This story contains a M/M pairing, so if it's not your kind of thing, look away now.**

**Pairing: M!Amell / Alistair, past one-sided M!Amell / Jowan  
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**Summary: The first time Darius fell in love, it was with his straight best friend. Now, the situation seems to be repeating itself, and Darius is thinking depressed thoughts.  
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**Notes: This was a fill response to a prompt on DAkink on LJ, my second one, X-posted here.  
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**Unexpected Comfort**

**PART I**

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Sometimes, Darius Amell did not know what to make of his luck. Or perhaps it was his tastes. Whatever it was, it caused him to be drawn to those who were just unattainable. The young mage sat brooding about this in his private little corner in camp as he gazed somewhat longingly at one of them: Alistair.

_Why do I just have to fall for the straight ones?_ He thought. _Why do they tempt me so?_

For as good looking, friendly and courageous as Alistair was, the blond Warden had shown no signs that he could ever be interested in having a relationship with another man, and this just depressed Darius. He didn't dare _ask_ the man either, as he was afraid that Alistair would react badly to such a proposition, and their cause against the blight was too great for Darius to risk driving a wedge between the two last Wardens in Ferelden.

_Why does this happen to me?_ He asked himself once more, though he had no answer.

It wasn't the first time that Darius had felt this way either. Back when he had been in the Circle, in the time before he was a Grey Warden, there was Jowan. The older apprentice had been one of his first friends that he made after he had arrived at the circle, showing concern for the small, lonely boy who had been thrown into the deep end when his magic awoken within him. As the years passed, the two had grown much closer, becoming close friends. And when they were eighteen, and Darius first realized that he had no interest in females, it was Jowan who had caught his eye and more.

Jowan, however, was uninterested in the same sex, unwilling to go any further than the few sessions of mutual masturbations that Darius managed to persuade him to "experiment" in. Shortly after that though, Jowan started growing secretive, and the two apprentices began to drift apart, though they did remain firm friends.

Then came Darius' harrowing, and the revelation of Lily, the initiate who had apparently captured Jowan's heart for the past two years (How he had kept that from Darius for two whole years was always a mystery to the younger mage). Darius, having kept up his friendship in hopes that the older man would someday come to return his feelings, was upset of course. But his stubbornly lingering hopes had remained, which was why he had even agreed to participate in Jowan's escape attempt. His friend's use of blood magic however, had deeply shocked and hurt him.

With the addition of all that had happed at Ostagar after he left the Circle, Darius had thought that had seen the last of his friend, and had somewhat gotten over the loss of his friendship, so the appearance of the now-apostate mage in Redcliffe's dungeons had surprised him.

He was disgusted by what Jowan had done of course, not quite believing how desperate the man had become. The old bonds of friendship however, had made Darius take pity on Jowan, and he had allowed the blood mage to assist in correcting his wrongs. Fortunately for them all, Darius had already been back to the Circle Tower (the first place he had chosen to visit after leaving Lothering, being a mage and all that), and had defeated the demons and saved everyone there. As such, it was a relatively simple task to have returned there to obtain the lyrium and the assistance required to avoid the use of any blood magic.

After than however, he had made the decision to have Jowan sent back to the tower, and had thought little of it.

Now, as he travelled on in his quest to end the blight, his thoughts on his love for Alistair had dredged up those memories, and the combination of both made him feel utterly dejected.

_Did I make the right decision when I sent Jowan back to the circle? _He wondered. _What would they do to him?_

Darius remembered how frightened his old friend had been when he had found out that he could have been made tranquil, and he fought back a wave of despair. _I really hope he's alright._

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Darius' dark mood continued on over the next few days, though he tried his best to hide it. _Makes no sense to let the others see me worry about such issues when there are larger issues at stake, after all._ He had thought to himself.

Alistair, however, being more perceptive when it came to the emotions of his fellow Warden, had sensed that something was wrong with his friend even before the week had passed.

"Hey Darius,"

The young mage looked up from his log seat by his tent to see the other Warden walking towards him.

"Mind if I join you?" Alistair asked, even as he sat down on the log next to him. Darius offered him a slight smile and nod in response, shifting a little to give the larger man more room.

"Care to share your troubles?" The blond Warden spoke again after they sat in silence for a few moments, "You seem to be looking a little down the past few days."

"I'm alright, Alistair," Darius replied, the words coming to him almost instinctively as he closed off his emotions, "I appreciate your concern, but there's nothing for you to be worried about."

"You sure?" Alistair didn't seem to believe him. "I haven't seen you so quiet before."

"It's nothing," Darius sighed.

"Come on, you can tell me"

"It's _nothing_."

"Alright, alright," Alistair stood up and backed off a little at his friend's angrier tone, "Don't hit me. I'll leave you to your thoughts for tonight, okay?"

Not waiting for the mage to reply, the blond Warden petted his friend gently on one shoulder before moving off.

Watching as his handsome companion walked back to his own tent, Darius couldn't help but sigh again. _It would be so much easier if I could tell you everything, Alistair, but I can't._

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The next day, as they travelled, Darius noticed that Alistair kept a closer watch on him, though the other Warden did not approach the topic of his mood. The others in the party did not speak of that either, whether they noticed it or not.

At camp that night, though the mage could sense that his friend was still glancing over to him every so often, Alistair chose not to disturb him, except to approach for a short while.

"Have some of this," The blond Warden told him, offering Darius a large chunk of cheese. "It helps me when I think about things, sometimes. Maybe it'll help you too?"

Darius nodded his thanks, wondering if his friend would stay, but the other man did not, giving him a small smile and petting him on one shoulder once more before leaving for his own tent.

Somehow, Alistair's gestures of concern touched Darius deeply, and the defensive shell that he had built around himself and his emotions over the past week started to crack. _Maybe I could tell him some of the things at least? But how much?_

As he retired for the night, his thoughts remained conflicted.

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TBC

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**Notes: I seem to like to write two chapter one-shots for some reason :P**

**Add. Notes: Please do review! Those who do will get some cheese from Alistair :D  
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	2. Unexpected Comfort: Part II

**Usual Disclaimer: Dragon Age: Origins does not belong to me.  
**

**Slash Alert: This story contains a M/M pairing, so if it's not your kind of thing, look away now.**

**Pairing: M!Amell / Alistair, past one-sided M!Amell / Jowan  
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**Summary: As Alistair comforts his friend, some things come to light, and the nature of their friendship changes.  
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**Notes: And here's the second part.  
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**Unexpected Comfort**

**PART II**

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The third night, the party reached a small town, and they opted to stay at the inn instead of camping out. It was a chance for slightly better sleeping conditions as well as proper bathing facilities, and all of them did not want to miss the opportunity.

Darius found himself sharing a room with Alistair.

_Only the Maker could have planned it this well._ The mage thought to himself wryly, having finally decided to talk to Alistair that night about some of the things that had been bothering him.

Having already eaten, bathed and changed, all Darius could do was to wait for the other Warden to return from the bathhouse, which he did, several minutes later, and the younger Warden could barely stop himself from staring.

Alistair had come in without wearing a shirt, and his chest muscles gleamed with the remaining drops of bathwater in the lamplight.

_That's not going to help very much._ Darius swallowed as he tried to keep his mind clear of all the improper thoughts that seemed to pop into his head every time he saw his friend shirtless.

Alistair ruffled through his belongings for a moment before sitting down on the edge of his bed facing his friend.

"So," The man started, "Are you ready to tell me about what's been bothering you for the past week or so?"

Darius was a little surprised at how perceptive his friend was. It must have showed in his expression, as the blond Warden grinned a little.

"I know I may not be the brightest person around" He said, "But that doesn't mean that I can't read people in other ways."

"You surprise us all sometimes, Alistair," Darius responded, "But don't think too lowly of your own intelligence either."

"Well, as long as you don't listen to the things Morrigan says about me," Alistair shrugged.

"But we're not here to discuss about me." The warrior continued after a moment. "We're here to talk about _you_. What _has_ been making you upset?"

"There are a few things." Darius sighed. "Jowan, for one."

"The blood mage?" Alistair cocked an eyebrow, "What about him?"

"There's more to Jowan than the blood magic, Alistair," Darius sighed again. "I don't know if I did the right thing when I sent him back to the Circle. I don't know what they'd do to him. I just hope that he's alright."

"Aren't you being overly concerned?"

"I guess you won't understand it unless I told you everything," The young mage said, shifting a little and looking directly at his companion.

And so Darius told him the story; of how he had first come to the Circle of Magi, and how when most of the other apprentices kept away from him or bullied him, how Jowan, being a few years older, had befriended and taken care of him. He told him of how their friendship had grown, of how they had always helped each other out as they grew up. Then he told Alistair of the unrequited love that had sprung up within him, about how he felt when he had found out about Lily, and about Jowan's escape from the tower.

"You know pretty much about the rest," Darius concluded, "Though I certainly didn't expect him to turn up in Redcliffe, working for Loghain."

Alistair was silent for a long moment as the man digested the information that he had just been told.

"So," The blond ex-templar spoke then, "You like men?"

Darius looked down, afraid of what he would see in his friend's face, "Yes, I do."

"Oh."

When Alistair did not continue, the younger Warden could not help but look up once more in curiosity. The other man had an unreadable expression, though he did not look angry or disappointed. Instead, he was blushing a little, and looking more than a little nervous.

Darius was not sure of what to make of his companion's reaction.

"Alistair?" He asked quietly, "You don't approve, do you?"

"No, of course not!" Alistair replied at once, though his blushed deepened, "I mean Yes. No? I- I mean, I- I don't thinking there's anything wrong with l-liking m-men."

While this should have reassured the young mage, Darius saw it as his friend just trying to be nice, seeing how uncomfortable the other man seemed to be. He sighed, looking away.

"You don't have to be nice to me if my preferences make you uncomfortable, Alistair", Darius said plaintively, feeling even more depressed suddenly. "Maybe I should just go and get another room."

"What? No!" Alistair stood up immediately as he saw his friend starting to stand up. The ex-templar crossed to the other bed and sat down next to Darius, putting an arm around the younger man's shoulders to prevent him from leaving.

"I'm – It's, Oh Maker," Alistair sighed, "It's not your _preferences_ that's making me uncomfortable or nervous, Darius,"

"I- I-," The blond Warden gulped, swallowing nervously, "I l-like men too."

"What?" Darius turned to face his companion in complete surprise. This was definitely not what he had expected at all. _Alistair likes men?_

"Y-yeah." Alistair was blushing furiously now. "A-And I think I'm in l-love with y-you."

Darius thought that he was already sufficiently surprised for that day, but Alistair's stammered statement threw his previous admission into insignificance. It was as if his wildest dreams had come true. Or perhaps it had_. Oh Maker, Alistair likes me_!

The younger Warden could not keep the sudden surge of joy from welling up within him, and impulsively, he leaned over to Alistair, hands going around the other man's head to pull him close, and kissed him.

Alistair's eyes widened in surprise at that unexpected move, and he sat there, stunned for a moment before finally responding in kind to the kiss.

"Well," Alistair panted, still blushing, after they had parted. "I did not expect _that_. Especially since I came in expecting to comfort you of your sadness."

"You comforted me all right," Darius laughed, embracing his friend in a hug. "I didn't expect this either. I was afraid that you'd _hate_ me, with your Chantry upbringing and all."

"How could I hate you when I'm in love with you?" the blond Warden asked, his arms going around his friend as well, pulling the two of them closer.

"Fortunate then, that I'm in love with you too, Alistair", the mage replied, causing the other man to flush even further.

"I never thought that I'd be able to hear that from you, Darius," Alistair told him, his voice quiet.

"Me neither, Alistair" Darius looked right into his friend's amber eyes. "The thought of having fallen in love with another straight man was one of the things that were making me depressed. Having you tell me that you liked men, and that you _loved _me makes me happier than I could ever describe."

Alistair smiled at that, tightening his embrace slightly.

"You're such an excellent comforter," Darius added, smiling.

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Alistair chuckled, "In addition to delivering unpleasant news and witty one-liners, of course."

The younger Warden laughed, and kissed the other man once more, relishing in the warm feeling of a newly formed relationship.

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END

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**Notes: Please review, everyone! Thanks :)**


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